Eating Out Gluten-Free

We've found it particularly difficult to eat at restaurants and successfully avoid gluten. Many restaurants do NOT have the proper facilities to isolate gluten containing foods from those that are designated gluten-free.

The best establishments that successfully cater to the gluten-free needs of their patrons will often have separate ovens, dedicated deep fryers - to avoid contamination with other fried flour batters, use separate water boiling pots for gluten-free pasta, and as important, established protocols (such as the proper use of gloves and special packaging to avoid cross contamination), and training for their cooks and servers.

It is extremely difficult for a fast-moving, high-volume restaurant to ensure that food is 100% gluten-free. So please proceed with caution, ask lots of questions and use your best judgement. We recommend telling your server that you have a gluten 'allergy' and specifically ask if each item you order is free of gluten containing ingredients. An 'allergy' is a word that warns them that there are serious health consequences when you consume gluten - rather than just a personal preference. If they sound confused or are not quite sure what gluten is, then you are probably better off not eating at that establishment.

Also remember that a gluten-free experience at a restaurant may not always be consistent, unless in fact, the restaurant does not use gluten containing ingredients at all - which is a rare find. And we'd like to add them to our website!